AFL-CIO

One of the most powerful unions in the country, the AFL-CIO represents more than 13 million workers nationwide. The federation acts as an umbrella group for 64 unions, bringing together workers from a wide range of industry and government jobs, from the Screen Actors Guild to the American Postal Workers Union.

The AFL-CIO lobbies the federal government on job creation, worker safety and health care issues, and it recorded its largest federal lobbying expenditure ($4.51 million) in 2010. It has long supported Democratic candidates and frequently runs television ads against Republican opponents. In 2002, the union filed suit against the sponsors of the campaign finance reform bill, contending that the bill's restrictions on campaign advertising violate free speech.

Profile for All Election Cycles

View totals for other cycles:
NOTE:Figures on this page include contributions and spending by affiliates of this organization.

Average Contributions to Members of Congress, 1990-2016

Campaign finance totals for the current election cycle were released by the FEC on May 16, 2017 and by the IRS on August 15, 2016, lobbying data was released by the Senate Office of Public Records on January 25, 2017, outside spending data was released by the FEC on August 18, 2017, and PFD data was released by the House, Senate, and US Office of Government Ethics starting in June 2011.

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